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Farmers using the Middle Rio Grande
Conservancy District’s “water bank” had their irrigation supplies turned back
on Monday, but the district’s water manager said it is not clear how long
they’ll be able to water.

Water bank farmers are the lowest priority water
users on the farm water system. Two weeks ago, with Rio Grande levels falling
because of the drought, the district cut off water bank users, the first time
that had happened in the history of the district. With warmer weather, snow
melt has increased flows in the river enough to supply the low-priority water
bank customers for now.

But they could be cut off again any time over the next
two months, said conservancy district water manager David Gensler.

Officials
at the Albuquerque BioPark say a baby orangutan that was born at the zoo this
week is alert, has been nursing and has a strong grip.

The zoo says Sarah the
Sumatran orangutan gave birth to the healthy baby sometime late Thursday or
early Friday. Zookeepers have yet to determine the baby's gender. They say
Sarah and her baby are behind the scenes but will soon rejoin the rest of the
orangutans.

The zoo's primate supervisor, Debbie Wiese, says the first few days
after birth are the most critical and the mother and baby will be closely
monitored to make sure development progresses normally. Sarah's pregnancy
surprised zookeepers last November, making it difficult to determine a due
date.

Park officials say a pipeline that
stretches more than a mile to provide Carlsbad CavernsNational
Park with drinking water needs to be replaced.

Officials
say some sections of the pipeline were damaged by freezing temperatures. A
wildfire also destroyed much of the line's insulation along with many of the
wooden blocks used to support it.

The pipeline provides water to the visitor
center, employee housing and park offices. Officials say repairing or replacing
the line is necessary to ensure a permanent, reliable source of water.

The park
will consider a range of alternatives to accomplish the work as part of an
environmental assessment. It will also evaluate potential issues and effects on
park resources as part of the process.

New Mexico's highest court is allowing the
state's top water manager to decide proposed water rights transfers to increase
flows in the drought-stricken PecosRiver.

The state Supreme
Court ruled Monday the state engineer's office can move ahead with an
administrative hearing on a proposal to transfer water rights to allow more
pumping of groundwater near Carlsbad in
southeastern New Mexico.
The water will go by pipeline into a reservoir to boost river flows.

The
justices rejected arguments by a ranching family that State Engineer Scott
Verhines has a conflict of interest in deciding the water proposal by the
Interstate Stream Commission.

The Supreme Court tossed out an EddyCounty
district court judge ruling that stopped the state engineer from holding a
hearing, which now will start in June.